Simulator in Type-moon, Starting with becoming Morgan husband!

Chapter 98. Ophelia Gets Pulled In – The Trio in the Simulation Battle

In the hallway of Chaldea.

Mashu was leaning against the wall, her gaze directed toward Ian and Ophelia as they approached. She looked slightly uneasy.

"Ian-senpai."

"And Ophelia-san as well."

"..."

Ophelia seemed slightly surprised to hear Mash speak.

"You… know me?"

"Yes." Mash nodded. "Ophelia-san is an outstanding student of the Spiritual Evocation Faculty at the Clock Tower and ranked 16th among the 49 Master candidates of Chaldea."

"I remember you don't particularly like one day of the week, right?"

"Sunday," Ophelia answered.

"Oh, right, Sunday."

"Sorry, I forgot about that." Mash looked apologetic after being reminded.

Seeing Mash's expression, Ophelia's face took on a complicated look.

The 49 Master candidates often discussed the people they knew among themselves.

Ophelia, possessing the Mystic Eye of Prolongation, was no exception.

Within the scope of her mystic eye's observation, Mash fell into the category of "someone to avoid"—best to have no contact.

But as Ian had said, there was something about Mash that stirred conflicting emotions in her.

Her mystic eye told her to keep her distance from Mash, but Ophelia also felt that Mash's solitary image seemed wrong.

As a result, Ophelia ended up silently observing Mash while shunning anyone who approached her.

Who would have thought...

It turned out Mash had remembered her for a long time.

Under the influence of her mystic eye, their interactions had been incredibly limited.

Looking back, it was quite ironic.

Ophelia glanced at Ian beside her.

Did this man understand everything, or did he understand nothing at all?

She couldn't tell anymore.

But regardless, it seemed her attitude toward Mash had always been a bit haughty.

"Umm, Ophelia-san."

Mash's voice rang out.

"What… what is it?" Startled, Ophelia looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her with a hint of guilt.

"It's just…"

Mash glanced at Ophelia, then at Ian standing beside her, her brows furrowing slightly as if in confusion.

"Why are you here?"

Realizing her words might sound impolite, Mash quickly added:

"I don't mean to question you—I'm just curious about the reason!"

Mash asked quite directly.

But Ophelia couldn't answer so easily.

The reason was obvious.

Ian had forced her to come here.

That man wouldn't leave her alone—he had confiscated a set of lace undergarments she should have been wearing beneath her clothes.

However, he made sure her outer attire was perfectly intact, except for what he'd taken.

This led to a strange situation:

From the outside, she looked no different from usual.

But in reality, beneath her clothes was nothing.

The fabric rubbed against her skin, and even a brisk step made her feel a chill.

Though her dignity remained intact so long as nothing excessive happened, the current situation was mortifying enough.

Answering honestly? Impossible.

However, Ian seemed to have anticipated Mash's question.

With a smile, he explained:

"Mash, Ophelia is here to help us."

"Help us?" Mash asked in surprise.

"Exactly, Mash. You know Ophelia is an excellent magus from the Clock Tower."

Ian turned to Ophelia beside him.

"She's a talented and completely 'pure' magus."

"With her help, we're sure to get twice the results with half the effort."

Ophelia knew this shameless man was subtly mocking her.

She was both embarrassed and angry but had no way to retaliate.

Meanwhile, Mash, oblivious to the truth, looked at Ophelia with gratitude.

"So that's it!"

"Thank you, Ophelia-san!"

Looking at Mash, who genuinely had no idea but still thanked her sincerely, Ophelia could only cast a resentful glance at the man beside her—he still wore his usual fake smile.

How could someone like this exist?

She couldn't understand it at all.

However, Ophelia knew she couldn't ignore Mash.

"It's nothing significant."

"I'm just doing what I can."

"No, that's not it!" Mash quickly waved her hand. "You're the only one, aside from senpai, who took the initiative to help me!"

"..."

Hearing this, Ophelia felt even more uncomfortable inside.

She turned to look at Ian, realizing he was also looking at her.

In that moment, Ophelia felt a chill run down her spine.

It was true.

This man was doing this intentionally.

He was deliberately making her aware of how lonely Mash was.

"Oh, by the way."

Mash looked at Ophelia and carefully asked:

"Ophelia-san, what exactly will you be helping us with…"

Mash hadn't finished her sentence, but the intent was already clear.

The role.

Mash wanted to know in what aspect Ophelia would provide her support.

But this wasn't a question Ophelia could answer on her own—she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

The elite magus instinctively glanced at Ian beside her.

And as expected, he seemed to have prepared for this, immediately answering for her:

"It's the simulation battle."

"Mash, Ophelia-san is here to help us fix the simulation battle system."

"Oh… I see now!"

"Really, thank you so much!"

Mash once again expressed her gratitude.

Seeing Mash like this made Ophelia even more uncomfortable inside.

She knew she had fallen into Ian's trap once again.

"No need to thank me."

Even the thanks felt hollow now.

....

A few minutes later, the three of them reached the entrance to the simulation battle area.

"Speaking of which, why hasn't Fou appeared today?" Ian asked.

"I'm not sure," Mash replied, looking down the hallway. "It seems like it has something else to do."

"I see."

Ian nodded, not asking anything further.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere between Ian and Mash, Ophelia began to have doubts about Ian's true intentions.

As one of the Master candidates, she had used the simulation battle function of Chaldea before.

However, when she learned that the "Servants" provided by the simulation system for practice were only Artoria Pendragon (Saber), Arash (Archer), and Cu Chulainn (Lancer), Ophelia lost interest.

Due to her family's educational influence, she was only interested in Saber-class Servants.

Among them, Artoria Pendragon (Saber) made her feel somewhat awkward due to her gender.

Therefore, Ophelia had rarely used the simulation system.

What exactly was Ian forcing her to do here?

Ophelia couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she thought.

But now, she had no way to resist.

She lightly held her skirt, but the cold sensation kept creeping in.

Ophelia's face flushed slightly.

All she could do now was pray that this man wouldn't do anything excessive in front of Mash.

Just like last time, after crossing the long hallway, the three of them arrived at the simulation space.

But as soon as they entered, Ian pulled Ophelia aside.

"What... what is it this time?"

Ophelia tensed and placed her hand over her stomach.

Her body, in direct contact with the air, couldn't move much. She could only maintain a gentle posture, like a proper young lady.

"I've completely followed your instructions, don't take it too far."

"Umu, I know."

Ian smiled gently.

"I understand that you're very obedient."

"That's why this time, I'm here to give you a little warning."

"A warning?"

"Yes." Ian nodded.

"In a moment, you might see something that will surprise you."

"I hope you'll be able to stay calm afterward."

"Are you ordering me?"

Ophelia's face reddened slightly as she looked at Ian.

"Not an order."

"After this, I'll give you a fitting reward."

"Moreover—"

Ian took Ophelia's hand, directing her gaze toward Mash.

"You clearly regretted how you treated Mash just now, didn't you?"

"I'll tell you this—she's also involved in all of this."

"Helping me means helping her too."

"..."

Ian's words made Ophelia feel both angry and uncomfortable.

"Ian, you're truly despicable."

"Right, I'm despicable. But you can't resist me, can you?"

"After all—"

Ian glanced at where Ophelia was trying to cover herself.

"You even allowed me to take you outside like this."

"You!"

Not wanting to argue further, Ophelia fell silent, silently agreeing with Ian's words.

What they didn't know was that the entire exchange had been witnessed by Mash.

The young girl's expression gradually became one of concern—Mash felt like the two seemed too close for comfort.

"Alright."

Ian waved at Mash.

"Mash, you can start now."

"Yes, yes!"

Mash began operating the simulation battle system, but her distraction almost caused her to make a mistake.

Fortunately, Ophelia gently tapped her shoulder, helping the young girl calm down a bit.

"This can't be… this can't happen."

"It's only this much so far."

Mash muttered to herself, then once again summoned three columns of light.

Ophelia watched them with a serious expression.

She was paying close attention to what Ian had just said.

What would surprise her?

What more could this crazy man create that would be beyond her expectations?

However, Ophelia's doubts didn't last long.

Because what Ian had mentioned quickly appeared right before her eyes.

Instead of Artoria Pendragon (Saber), the "Servant" that materialized on the battlefield was Mordred (Saber).

"How could there be a new 'Servant' appearing?"

Ophelia looked at Ian and Mash, her expression full of disbelief.

"What did you two do?"

"This..."

Mash, who was usually shy, didn't dare to speak. She hid behind Ian, only daring to peek her head out to look at Ophelia.

But Ian maintained his usual calm demeanor.

"I don't know," he answered frankly.

"After I first interacted with the battle simulation system, it turned out like this."

"This..."

Ophelia glanced at Mash, who was hiding behind Ian.

Mash quickly nodded, confirming what Ian had said was true.

"So, what's the point of calling me here?" Ophelia tried to keep calm, suppressing the emotions rising within her.

"I can't fix this problem, can I?"

"Reporting it to Chaldea to handle would be the best choice."

Ophelia was right.

This was indeed the optimal way to handle it – and it was what Mash had felt needed to be done from the start.

Both of them looked at Ian.

Although their reasons differed, the next course of action depended on the direction of this man before them.

Ian didn't directly answer the question.

He looked at Mordred (Saber), who was fiercely fighting Cu Chulainn (Lancer), summoned by Mash, and spoke:

"So, tell me, what's your first impression of this 'Servant'?"

"..."

Before Ophelia could think of an answer, Mash eagerly spoke up first.

"Um, Ian-senpai."

"I think... she's related to Artoria Pendragon (Saber)."

"Why do you think so?" Ian asked.

"I'm not sure how to describe it." Mash looked at Mordred (Saber).

"But there's this subconscious feeling that there's some connection between them."

"Is that so?"

Ian smiled and patted Mash's head.

"Looks like your intuition is quite sharp."

"She really does have a deep connection to Artoria Pendragon."

"She is Artoria's adopted daughter—Mordred."

"What?"

Mash and Ophelia almost shouted in unison.

However, Ian wasn't surprised by their reaction.

"You don't need to be so shocked."

"This is the truth."

"The truth, huh?"

Ophelia looked at Ian.

"In a situation where there's no information, how can you confirm..."

Her words were cut off halfway as Ophelia paused.

In short,

Without knowing the method of summoning or the holy relic used in the summoning process, it would be impossible to confirm the 'Heroic Spirit' that a corresponding 'Servant' was in their past life.

But—

You can't apply normal reasoning to Ian.

He didn't even have a Magic Circuit, yet he was able to project and use a sword in midair.

His actions couldn't be judged like those of an ordinary person.

He must have confirmed all of this before telling Mash and me.

But what is he trying to achieve by doing so?

Unlike Ophelia's skeptical attitude, Mash didn't doubt Ian's words at all.

"So, it's Mordred?"

"If I'm not mistaken, she's the youngest daughter of the King of Camelot, Morgan Pendragon, who was chosen to inherit the throne by the former king, Artoria Pendragon, right?"

"That's right, Mash. You're not mistaken."

Ian didn't hold back his praise.

"It seems like you're really learning how to be a good Master."

"Really, really?"

Mash blushed slightly at the praise.

The compliments she was receiving from this man were almost surpassing all the compliments she had received in the past decade.

Hearing those words, Ophelia suddenly realized something.

"Mash, let me borrow Ian for a moment."

After saying that, the outstanding magus took the initiative to pull Ian aside for the first time.

Seeing this, Mash's worries, which she had just managed to suppress, flared up once again.

Could it be that they are...

...

Of course,

Ophelia didn't know anything about this.

She just wanted to voice her suspicions.

"Ian."

"I know you probably won't care about me, but I hope you can answer a question."

"What question?"

"It's—"

Ophelia looked at Mordred still moving on the 'battlefield'.

"You don't intend to take advantage of the strange changes in the battle simulation..."

"To meet the 'Servants' that we shouldn't meet, right?"

(note: I originally planned to have the address in this story be in English instead of Japanese honorifics, but I liked the way when Mashu kept calling senpai senpai, so I changed it)